Friday 6 August 2021

Hydrangea Heaven

 My favourite flower is the hydrangea. And while the big blue & pink hybrids are the show stoppers these days, I still love the reliable white Annabelle variety. They go from creamy white to soft green as the summer progresses & bloom consistently for weeks.





I tried to create the same effect with my Hydrangea Haven stamp set.



After stamping the image from the Hydrangea Haven stamp set in Pear Pizzazz, I added subtle touches of Soft Seafoam on the petals with my Blends marker. I then painted the whole flower top with Wink of Stella for some subtle creamy shimmer. The flower was die-cut with the matching dies, then popped up on a vellum mat embossed using the Timeless Type 3D Embossing Folder. The card base is Soft Seafoam, highlighting the tint on my bloom.

It's fun to get inspiration from things around us, and even better that we can create a message to share. 

Leave a comment below & let me know what inspires you.


Cheers,

Arlene



Sunday 1 August 2021

Just Peachy!

 After returning from the local Farmers' Market with a basket of peaches yesterday, I was drawn to the beautiful images in the You're A Peach Suite. The stamps are amazing - beautiful shading & the matching dies cut out these luscious treats so they look scrumptious! The matching DSP combines all the summery colours of summer in Ontario so it's pretty easy to make a stunning card.

Using a sponge dauber to highlight the edges of the peach with some Calypso Coral ink adds a realistic touch to the Pale Papaya peach.


This set is a "Distinktive" stamp set. The images have a photographic look, with shading & highlights giving a 3D-like image. Using an ink pad that is a little less "juicy" will produce the best results with these stamps.


A happy discovery that I made is that the blossoms on the elegant DSP are very similar to the cherry blossoms in the Forever Blossoms stamp set. Some people have noted that they are similar to apple blossoms as well. Since I'm a stamper not a botanist I will use artistic license to create beautifully coordinated blossoms & fruit & leave the fact checking to the experts!



Enjoy this stunning collection of coordinating products & check them out in my online store under the Shop tab above. Contact me if you need assistance ordering these beauties. This lovely DSP is on sale at 15% off till Tuesday so be sure to pick it up to enjoy during peach season!

Enjoy,

Arlene